Torrance, USA, January 30, 2016 – Phil Dalhausser can do something else with his garage now. The Olympic gold medallist was on hand with other figures from USA’s beach volleyball family on Saturday in celebration of USA Volleyball’s Beach Open House.

Olympians and national team members gathered at the Torrance facility for the grand opening of the training gym, the Beach Department office space and an unveiling of Olympic banners that celebrate the United States' rich history in the Games.

“It's really great to come to the gym here to work out,” Dalhausser said. “We have everything we need in here and more. For 10-plus years I just worked out in my garage; this is a huge upgrade from my garage.”

The facility opens at a crucial time for USA’s beach volleyball athletes with the next four and a half months determining who will qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“Having the facility here as a resource has been instrumental in my training and progress as an athlete,” said 2016 Olympic hopeful Lauren Fendrick. “I'm super thankful to have it. We have top-of-the-line equipment and training.”

The qualification period for entry via the world rankings ends with the Hamburg Grand Slam (June 7 to 12). A maximum of two teams per gender from each nation can qualify and 15 slots will be available according to the world rankings at that time.

The men’s season opener takes place on Kish Island in Iran (February 15 to 19) before 10 more international tournaments until the end of the Olympic qualifiers in Hamburg.

The women will kick off in a dual-gender tournament in Maceio, Brazil, from February 23 to 28. The Maceio tournament is one of four that will be staged in Brazil ahead of the Olympic Games and will be crucial for the USA teams to measure their readiness to take on Brazil on their home sand.

USA Volleyball’s new facility will help their cause. The facility covers 15,000 square-feet, 4,000 of which are given over to the weight room.

“We have the Torrance gym going now and it's an awesome facility for us,” said Emily Day, a 2016 Olympic hopeful. “We can come in from our sand practices and get our workout in. We have our strength-and-conditioning coach Anthony (Darmiento) here; we have Aimee (Miyazawa), who is our PT and massage therapist. It's so convenient to have all of this in one place.”